SAFD, farmers markets reach temporary truce

After meeting with representatives from local farmers markets, San Antonio Fire Department officials are proposing an annual fire inspection permit fee of $300 to replace the $35-per-day fee that market vendors had been required to pay.

Many vendors, especially those who sell at more than one market around town, said the daily fee, which could total $1,800 or more annually, was unfair and threatened their livelihood.

The fee has been part of the city fire code for 35 years and initially was intended for vendors at one-time festivals or annual events such as Fiesta. It pertains only to vendors who cook or heat food over an open flame or with an electrical appliance. Enforcement recently was extended to vendors at regularly scheduled farmers markets.

Vendors who attended the meeting said Fire Department officials were very cooperative and understanding about the financial burden the daily fee placed on their business.

“They were really willing to listen to us and hear our concerns,” said Jovanna Lopez, co-owner of the People’s Nite Market at La Villita. “We understand the need for public safety; we just want the fee to be more fair.”

According to a statement from the Fire Department, the newly proposed fee will be put in writing, with additional meetings scheduled for the near future to finalize it.

In the meantime, fire inspectors will continue to advise vendors on safety issues but will not collect any fees until an annual fee is put in place.

Although the new fee structure promises to ease the situation for market vendors, there is a question about whether it is transferable. In other words, does a vendor who sells at more than one market need only a single permit or one for every location?

“We brought it up at the meeting, but I don’t think (fire officials) had thought about it,” said Valeria Hernandez, another People’s Nite Market co-owner. “But they seemed open to it.”

Fire Department spokesman Woody Woodward said a decision hasn’t yet been made about permit transferability.

“We’re still hammering out the details,” he said.

rmarini@express-news.net

Twitter: @RichardMarini

Area farmers markets

Richard Marini is a reporter at the San Antonio Express-News. He has been with the paper since 2000. Prior to that he was a full-time freelance writer, contributing to publications as varied as Us, Cooking Light, Frequent Flyer, Bottom Line/Health and many others. Reader's Digest once sent him to Alaska for a week.